Climate change is the defining issue of our time. The unremitting rise in temperatures and the changes in the climate systems globally brings great uncertainty and a need for action.
Climate change represents a major threat to forestry. It also presents a key opportunity to design and re-configure our managed woodlands. Trees and forest ecosystems are highly effective at sequestering and storing carbon from the atmosphere. The expansion and restoration of woodlands will make a serious impact by helping to lock away atmospheric carbon dioxide caused by rising populations and industrialisation.
This page contains a range of information relating to climate change, pests & diseases and soil degradations potential impact on woodland ecosystems. With planning and mitigation there is a degree of uncertainty about future climate trajectories and impacts. Therefore, there is generally a push to increase the overall diversity of managed forests, by embracing a wider range of genetic resources, tree species and silvicultural systems, all whilst protecting our much-needed soils and the life within.
Policy and guidance information has been published over several years by a number of forestry bodies, building on a significant and growing amount of primary research and evidence.
A selection of resources from Ireland and the UK are here and below: